Railroad switch



(No Model.)

A. A. STROM, RAILROAD SWITCH APPLIANGE.

No. 438,120. Patented Oct. '7, 1890.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AXEL A. STROM, OF AUSTIN, ASSIGNOR TO THE STROM MANUFACTURING COMPANY,OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

RA! LROAD-SWITCH APPLIANCE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 438,120, dated October7, 1890. Application filed March 10, 1890- Serial No, 3%,291. (Nomodel.)

T0 at whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AXEL A. STROM, a citizen of the United States,residing at Austin, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Railroad-Switch Appliances, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improved construction of the connecting meansbetween a railroad-switch and its switchstand.

The object of my improvement is to provide a construction ofconnecting-bar and crank on a switch-stand spindle which, while it willpermit the bar and crank to be readily connected and disconnected byproper manipulation of the bar for the purpose, will tend to .preventaccidental or unintentional separation thereof.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is aperspective View of aswitch-stand having the crank-arm on its rotary spindle adapted toreceive a switch-bar of peculiar construction; and Fig. 2, abrokensectional View showing the flaring form of the opening in the crank andthe switch-bar inserted into it, the manner of adjusting the switch-barin applying it to or disconnecting it from the crank being indicated bydotted lines.

A is the switch-stand, of any desired form and construction, employing avertically-disposed spindle B.

D is the crank-arm,extending horizontally from the spindle near itslower end and provided with an opening 0, flaring, as shown at 0',downward from the inner side of the opening.

To connect the bar 0 with the crank, it is v tipped to enter the toefirst into the opening 0, as indicated in Fig. 2, and by then loweringthe bar to the horizontal position (shown by full lines in that figure)and fastening the opposite end in any suitable manner to a switch-rail(not shown) the bar cannot be displaced or removed without firstdisconnecting it at the switch, when it must be raised from that end topermit its separation from the crank-arm to be effected. The opening 0being only large enough at its upper end to admit the lateral extension'1" of the rod 0, the latter when in position prevents the entrance ofsaid and other foreign matter into the opening which would tend toproduce rapid wear and impairment of the connection.

YVhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

In combination with a switch-stand A, having a vertical rotary spindleB, a crank-arm D, extending from the spindle near its lower end andprovided with a downwardly-flaring opening 0, and a switch-connectingbar 0, provided at one end with a lateral extension 0", terminating in atoe q and adapted to fit the said flaring opening in the crank-arm,substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

AXEL A. STROM.

In presence of J. W. DYRENFORTH, M. J. FROST.

